Apologies
by Alison16
Summary: It's the last night before the Greeks of the Argo II leave Camp Jupiter for CHB. Jason has one more task before he goes. The problem is, can he actually do it?
1. Chapter 1

**So it's been a while since my first story, this one took a lot of thought, organization and laziness. It's a bit more fast than I'd like it to be, but I'm sort of proud of it. There will be more than one chapter, I'll make updates fast!**

**Just to clarify, I'm 100% Jiper, but I love the thought of Jeyna, too, and it'd be nice if they had _some_ sort of happy ending.**

**Enjoy!**

Jason tapped on the rim of his coffee cup repetitively. He's never been this nervous before. Never. Okay, maybe during the war, maybe toppling Kronos's throne or maybe everytime he looked into Piper's kaleidoscopic eyes when she was everything but happy, but those were all different kinds of nervous. He was feeling the kind of nervous you'd feel when you _knew_ you were doing something bad. He was nervous that Annabeth was afraid he'd break his ceramic coffee cup. She pulled it away from him and towards her, "Calm down. It's just Reyna."

Jason's fingers automatically tapped the table and his eyebrows raised, "Just Reyna? Praetor of the Twelfth Legion, Reyna, Reyna who ruled New Rome alone, Reyna, Reyna who traveled to Greece with a Pegasus as her only companion, Reyna? Yup, just Reyna."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "I get it. She's tough, but she won't kill you, Jason. Hurt you maybe, kill you? _Probably_ not,"

"Thanks," he sighed. Annabeth shrugged and looked around the café. They were the only people in it, considering it was a bit late. It was could easily be described as Roman style. White pillars rose to the ceiling, gold mouldings and baseboards skirted around the wall, marble tables and countertops. Annabeth was starting to like the Romans. She looked at the tall grandfather in the corner, it was almost a quarter past 11.

"Percy's going to be here in a few minutes, are you ready?" Annabeth and Percy were going to walk around New Rome. It was the Argo II's last day in New Rome and they were heading back to Camp Half Blood, leaving Hazel and Frank behind.

Which was why Jason was here in the café, waiting for Reyna. He was finally going to apologize for everything before he would leave for Camp Half Blood. He knew there was so much he had to be sorry for and that Reyna had every right to be mad at him. He knew that they could just ignore each other as he went off to the Greek side with Piper, while Reyna stayed in New Rome, _alone_. They could just pretend that there was nothing between them, no friendship, no feelings, just people that knew each other. But Jason didn't want that. He _couldn't_ do that. It was unfair for both of them. So here he was, waiting for whatever storm Reyna would bring tonight.

"I'm ready,"he let out a shaky breath.

"Liar,"

"Annabeth,"

"Fine," she laughed raising her arms as if at gunpoint, "Just, I don't know, relax. She can be very subtle, reasonable, she'll be okay,"

Jason looked at Annabeth and she looked serious, she was right, she was the daughter of Athena after all, Reyna might actually leave the cafe later okay.

But then she burst out laughing, "I'm kidding, tough luck, super man," maybe she was the daughter Hermes.

When Jason glared at her she rolled her eyes and leaned back into her chair,"Okay, seriously, though. If you want this to go well, listen to me. Don't make her feel like she_ has_ to forgive you, but don't just say sorry and leave. Don't bring Piper up to much, that hurts," Annabeth's eyes fell down to her mug of hot chocolate, as if remembering something, relating to what she had just said, "but don't make her feel like she has a chance with you right now. Tell her everything you told me, that you remember now, that you felt something for her before, make 'before' and 'now' clear for her. Don't break her, don't scare her. But don't let her scare you off, Jason. Be confident in the things you say. She's a girl, she has her way of showing things and understanding. She might cry, shrug it off, get mad, won't care. We can't tell. Just... Just be gentle Jason. We don't know if she liked or likes you or anything. It looks like it, but you never know. If you really want this Jason, make it work." Jason was overwhelmed. Annabeth, who was laughing about his fate almost a minute ago, just gave him the best advice yet.

"Look who's here," Annabeth pointed, Jason turned around to see Percy walking into the café with Reyna, Aurum and Argentum at her side. She had a half smirk and Percy looked okay. Reyna for some reason had no problem with Percy. She didn't give him murderous stares or try to ignore him. She forgave Percy and Annabeth for whatever they did back when they were at C.C's Spa. She was friends with them. Something Jason wanted to be with her.

"Hey guys," Percy waved awkwardly, already feeling the tension. Reyna's smirk disappeared and a straight line formed where her mouth is. Annabeth stood up and hugged Percy and then Reyna.

"Hey guys," Jason walked over to Aurum and Argentum and bent down. They stretched their necks to sniff Jason's hand. At least_ they_ still liked him.

Jason stood up and fist bump Percy, "Wish me luck," Jason whispered.

Percy laughed, "I'm praying for you. Just don't hurt her." His tone all of a sudden serious.

Jason could only nod back.

"I guess this is goodbye, Reyna," Annabeth said.

"You're not staying for a drink?" Reyna looked disappointed. Jason guessed she didn't want to be there alone with him.

"We gotta go, admire New Rome one last time," Percy answered, wanting to leave.

Reyna looked at him , her eyes begging him to stay. When Percy shook his head she sighed, "Okay, I'll try to visit the Argo II before your departure in the morning." she held out her hand and so did Percy, they shook hands, "It was nice being Praetor with you," she smiled.

"Really?" Percy was happy to hear that.

"Nope. It was pure mayhem." Reyna laughed and so did Annabeth.

Annabeth looked at Jason who all of a sudden took an interest in a near by pillar. "Jason," she called, "we're going straight to Argo II when we're done," Jason nodded and gave them a small wave.

"Okay, well, bye then," Percy said.

He looked at Reyna and Jason and smirked, "Don't kill him Reyna," Both Reyna and Jason coughed and looked at Percy who dashed out of the café pulling a laughing Annabeth with him. He was too fast, Reyna and Jason couldn't throw anything at him.

Reyna raised her hand and called Kona, the demigod in charge of the café, over to the table, "Hot chocolate with three marshmallows and a quarter cup of milk."

Kona nodded, "Yes Praetor, anything else?"

"Yes. If you don't mind, as soon as you get my order, take a walk outside. Close the café momentarily. Jason and I are having an important meeting about the camps."

Kona looked at Jason giving him a pitiful look and then back to Reyna, "Will do." He rushed back to bar.

Jason pulled a chair out for Reyna but instead she pulled a chair, farther away from Jason and sat there. Already a bad start.

Jason took this time to sort of study Reyna. Her black hair was in its usual braid, resting on her left shoulder. Her brown eyes, were looking away from his blue ones, and he noticed how tired and stressed they looked. It looked like she just handled a whole camp by herself. Which she did. Her facial expression showed that she was all business. She looked like the Reyna that he saw when he first came to Camp Jupiter.

"Reyna," he started, "I-"

"Not yet," she stopped him from talking, "Wait for Kona to leave." Jason nodded and looked away from Reyna.

Jason remembered when he and Reyna used to come to café after a long day of looking after Camp Jupiter. She'd always get hot chocolate with three marshmallows, a quarter cup of milk and no sugar at all. Jason would always get a plain black coffee. Those were the first clear memories he had of Reyna. They'd stay up till midnight, talking about tasks, Octavian, New Rome, anything. It was their time to do relax from their long days as praetors. Reyna used to laugh at all the dumb, cheesy jokes he'd make. Those were Jason's favourite times, when she laughed. It made him special because he was one of the few people to hear it. But now, they were at the same table they sat at so long ago, not even looking at each other. She hated him, and he was scared of her. It felt so weird.

"So, why am I here? I am a very busy person, Jason. I have a whole camp to take care of and a new partner to train," Reyna interrupted his thoughts. She sounded like she was making some point that Jason was totally getting. She had her hot chocolate, Kona was gone, and the curtains were down, blocking the outside.

"I...uh, wanted to apologize." he stumbled.

Reyna straightened in her seat and raised her right eyebrow, "For?"

Jason let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding, "For everything."

"Percy already did." she said sternly. She was closing herself from him. She wasn't letting him do anything. She wouldn't give him a chance.

"Reyna, I have so much more to apologize for,"

Reyna didn't react, she just sat there, one leg over the other, right arm resting on her lap and left hand curled around her mug. Her hand reached down to pet Argentum's head.

"And I need you to listen," Jason said.

Her eyes drifted to his lazily, the first time she looked directly at him. She seemed to regret it because they tore away immediately.

"I will listen if it's something worth listening to,"

Jason started to feel irritated. She was being difficult.

"Trust me, it will," his voice was more edgy, it caught Reyna's attention, "I won't lie to you. I do, then Aurum and Argentum can take turns biting my ears off. But I won't lie to you. The whole, clear, truth. I promise." Jason's eyes bore into hers, and she looked back. It was as if they were begging her to listen to him.

"Fine," she said quietly, but not at all softer.

Jason was surprised. He thought she was going to fight with him, run out, but she was here sitting patiently, ready to listen.

"Okay," he realized how nervous he still was, "First of all I wanted to apologize for Leo attacking the camp, he'd apologize himself but, you sort of scare him." He tried to make her laugh, but it didn't work as she rolled her eyes.

"I also wanted to apologize for making Frank praetor without your consent or opinion. I promise you won't regret it, he's a real leader and everything."

Reyna stopped him, "There's nothing wrong with Zhang being praetor. As for the son of Vulcan-"

"Hephaestus, he's Greek." Jason interrupted. Reyna's eyes looked hurt, but she continued.

"Right, the son of Hephaestus, if he's really sorry, then he can apologize himself,"

"I'll tell him," Jason said, "I also want to apologize for disappearing, and leaving the camp,"

"It wasn't _exactly_ your fault," Reyna said, her voice full of boredom, "It was Juno's plan and we can't _exactly_ blame her as well. What _exactly_ are you sorry for, Jason?"

Jason felt as if his whole body stopped functioning, his heart, brain, and muscles. It felt like the blood in him stopped flowing, his brain cells, dead. What was he sorry for? And the way she talked, so nonchalant, bored, cold. It was surprisingly overwhelming.

When Jason reassembled his thoughts and got everything functioning well again, he said something no one else would be able to say, "I'm sorry for leaving you," the most confident thing he's ever said that night.

It was Reyna's turn to malfunction. The way Jason said it. So proud, sincere. Her dogs didn't attack him which meant he was being honest. The way his eyebrows scrunched, the way his electric blue eyes were so focused on her brown ones. He meant it. She stood up abruptly and quickly turned away from Jason, heading for the door. Jason was fast enough to catch her by the wrist, stopping her.

"Reyna, sit. Please." and she did. His hand still on her wrist. She sheepishly pulled it back to her lap and looked away from Jason. This was_ not_ happening.

"I owe you everything, I've got, Rey," he caught her attention again, calling her _'Rey.'_ She hadn't heard it in such a long time, it felt foreign.

"The praetorship, the respect of New Rome, taking care of the camp while I was gone, for not killing us when we first came, for listening to us about the prophecy, for doing everything you could to prevent the war between the two camps. For saving me from stupid, stupid Octavian. Thank you so much Reyna. I practically owe you my life." he was rambling but he continued.

"And I hate saying this, but I'm sorry for leaving."

"Why are you sorry for that?" her voice wouldn't have been audible if they weren't in an echoey, hollow café by themselves.

"I'm sorry because… because for months, you took care of the camp by yourself, doing that with a partner was hard enough. Alone? I can't imagine that. I'm sorry because I left you with the crazy, stupid, psychopathic Octavian, and the stupid senate that always listened to him. I'm sorry because…," he took a long, deep, breath before saying his next risky phrase, "...because, I left you, loving you, and came back loving someone else." he wasn't even done his sentence when Reyna pinned him down on the floor, dagger to his neck. Aurum and Argentum seemed to be confused, for once questioning Reyna.

"You did not just say that," Reyna snapped. A bead of sweat was already trailing down Jason's forehead. He was breathing hard and it wasn't helping that Reyna was on him.

"I'm not taking it back, Reyna, I remember everything. Everything,"

"You don't. Remember. Anything." she emphasized each word.

Jason was getting tired, and wasn't comfortable with their position. It wouldn't make Piper happy and it wasn't going to help whatever he was going to say next. He lifted Reyna off of him and sort of tumbled her to the side. She landed on her back with a 'thud'. Aurum and Argentum barked at Jason, but Reyna commanded them to stop. She pushed herself up with her hands as Jason stood over offering his hand to help her hand.

She swatted it away, "Get that away from me." She dusted herself off and sat back into her chair.

"Can we talk about this maturely?" Jason asked. He wiped away the sweat on his forehead and felt for anything on his neck. No blood. Good.

"What do you mean you remember everything?" she wanted to get straight to the point.

"You know what I mean,"

"Jason, unless you want to end up as dog food, answer me." her voice was shaking and a tear slid down her face. Everything in Jason seemed to have collapsed. Reyna doesn't cry. He's never seen cry.

He cleared his throat and sat up, "The night before I disappeared…"

**Gasp! Cliffhanger!**

**That was the first chapter and I hope you liked it!**

**Just wanted to share a thought/realization;**

**The other day my boyfriend and I were at Starbucks, and we were talking about Rick Riordan (He loves PJAO and HoO, he introduced me to the series) and he said,**

_**"When we're all dead, and generations later, probably millenias from now, people are going to see Rick Riordan the way we see Homer (as in the guy who wrote the Iliad)"**_

**Woah. Mind=Blown.**

**Anyways, new chapter up before this week ends, hopefully! Reviews are _always_ welcome!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Later than I hoped, I was having my own issues with Google Docs,**

**Anyways, as promised, the rest of the story :)**

* * *

Piper was pacing back and forth making Leo dizzy. She was nibbling on her thumbnail while her other hand twisted her braid.

"Pipes, you gotta calm down." Leo said.

They were in the "living room" of the Argo II, Leo was sitting on the couch tinkering with the tiny orb in his hand. Grease coated his fingers and was smudged all over his face. Hazel and Frank were with them trying to reason with Piper

Piper sighed dramatically, "What if something happens, guys,"

This caught their attention and they all straightened in their seats, "What do you think is going to happen?" Hazel asks.

Piper looked at them. Their eyebrows raised and the wrench in Leo's hand was lightly tapping the orb. She couldn't answer Haszel. She couldn't say it out loud.

Hazel frowned, "Piper, Jason would never do that to you."

"And Reyna isn't the type to ruin things," Frank added.

Piper considered it for a moment. She wanted to believe them, but really,_ anything_ could happen. She ran her hands over her face and let out a frustrated sigh.

Leo knew what that meant. He looked at Frank and Hazel, "You guys don't mind giving us a brother-sister moment do you? It'll be quick,"

They stood up, "It's totally fine, we'll be in the kitchen,"

Leo looked back to Piper "You don't_ really_ think that's going to happen, do you?" There was _no way_ she was thinking Jason and Reyna would somehow magically fall in love with each other. Piper loved Jason to bits. Jason love Piper just as much. There was no way Jason would leave Piper.

Piper looked at Leo, considering his question, "I don't think _that_ will happen. But just to make sure," she picked up her coat and headed for the door.

Leo ran after Piper, blocking her way, "Woah, woah, woah, where do you think _you're_ going?"

"Leo. Move."

" Nu-uh. Listen up, Beauty Queen," his eyes fixed on hers, "I have a_ billion_ things to do before we leave tomorrow morning, I have my own personal, love life to handle and I still need to eat dinner. Babysitting you for Jason was a favour and a long stretch in my busy schedule." Piper pouted making Leo sigh. He wiped his eyebrow leaving a track of grease, "Pipes don't get me wrong. I love you like I love Festus here," he said rubbing the wall, "But you need to trust Jason. He doesn't do this, then he'll be thinking of her even more. You don't want that, right?"

Piper leaned back and sighed, "You're right,"

Leo smiled victoriously, "Commander Leo's always right. Come on, give Ole Leo a hug,"

Piper laughed and hugged Leo, "Kay, now what's this love life problem you have?"

_Jason rolled his eyes and took a glance at Reyna. Octavian was making a big speech about who-knows-what. He made a long list of things he thought should be changed, disagreements on Jason's and Reyna's decisions, etc._

_Reyna looked at Jason and held back a yawn. She had no idea why the centurions included Octavian's opinions during these senate meetings. They were just long banters and complaints of things Octavian _wouldn't_ be able to change._

_"And thus, I petition we donate all stuff toys to the Augur, also known as me." Octavian looked at the senators, who looked bored, and gave them a creepy smile._

_"Okay, we'll think that over, meeting aj-" Jason was almost standing until Octavian stopped him._

_"I have one more request,"_

_"Octavian, the senate meeting is to be over," Reyna said._

_Dramatically, Octavian looked up at the clock and smirked, "We have five more minutes, Reyna,"_

_She sighed and slumped into her chair, "What is your request?" Reyna dragged the words._

_"I request re-elections,"_

_Everyone in the senate house froze. Re-election were feared. No one liked losing their job._

_"Of?" Reyna asked ending the silence._

_"Praetorship," Octavian's smile grew, but it was everything but settling._

_The whole senate house went still until Jason sat up in his seat and leaned forward, "What do you mean 're-election of Praetorship'?"_

_"Now I've got your attention,"_

_"Octavian, continue," Reyna demanded._

_"I want a re-election,"_

_"You told us that already," Dakota yawned bored now that he wasn't losing his job as Senator._

_"Why do you want a re-election?" Jason asked._

_"Because _I_ don't think you're suitable," Octavian sing songed._

_Jason looked at Reyna, raising his eyebrow, a silent request to pummel the Augur. She shook her head, "What makes you think Jason is not suitable for the job?"_

_Octavian shrugged, ticking Reyna off, "This is a serious allegation you make Octavian, do not treat it as if this is a joke!" her voice had risen._

_"Jason has proven himself countless times Octavian, I do not see any reason why he _shouldn't_ be Praetor." Gwen said trying to lessen the tension._

_"How exactly has he proven himself, again? Refresh my memory please." Octavian was playing with them._

_Jason sat up even straighter, "I am the son of Jupiter,"_

_Octavian scoffed, "Irrelevant,"_

_"Well the camp is called 'Camp Jupiter," Dakota whispered to the centurion beside him._

_"I am the champion of Juno, prodigy of Lupa, I slew the Trojan Sea monster, toppled Kronos's throne, and defeated Krios, the main reason why I am Praetor, I restore the Fifth Cohort's honour._

_"Impressive," Octavian clapped sarcastically._

_"If Jason were to be stripped of his Praetorship, who do you think should take his place," Reyna asked coolly._

_"Me. Of course." Octavian smirked._

_"You've got to be kidding me." Jason ran his hands over his face and slumped back into his seat, "What exactly have _you_ done to deserve the title 'Praetor"?"_

_"I've served the camp much longer than you have, Jason."_

_"And if you were to become Praetor, who would take your place as Augur?" Dakota chuckled._

_Octavian's eyes scanned the senate and smiled when he got to his destination, "Jason."_

_Jason's eyes rolled, "I_ do not_ play with dolls,"_

_The senate laughed, Octavian turned red in embarrassment . Jason was smiling victoriously, knowing he just won._

_"Order!" Reyna called, a hint of smile played on her lips, "It's late and no one wants to be here any longer. Let's stop this nonsense," she looked at Jason and nodded, "All in favour of a re-election, rise."_

_No one stood except for Octavian who was standing anyways._

_"Well, that says it all. Sorry Octavian, but your request of re-election has been declined," Octavian opened his mouth to argue, but Reyna cut him off, "No further argument,"_

_He glared at her stomping out of the hall._

_Jason pounded the gavel, "Meeting adjourned."_

_Reyna and Jason walked into the café. It was late and there were only few people in the cafe. Kona and his assistant were about to start cleaning up. Kona noticed them and looked up from the sink and bowed, "Praetors,"_

_Kona was a child of Ceres (Demeter's Roman form). He had short, golden brown hair and glasses. He was as tall as Jason, 6'1", with long, lanky arms._

_Reyna nodded and Kona smiled at them, "The usual?"_

_Reyna nodded._

_"And…" Jason looked down at the casement full of pastries, "a brownie. Two actually,"_

_"Coming right up," Kona turned around and started their order._

_"Two brownies?" Reyna laughed._

_"Why? What's wrong with a brownie?" Jason pouted._

_"Nothing, it's just weird seeing the champion of Juno, prodigy of Lupa, the slayer of the Trojan Sea Monster, toppler of Kronos's throne, murderer of Krios, ordering a brownie." she teased._

_Jason rolled his eyes, "We have to do something about that guy,"_

_Reyna shrugged, "He had a fair argument,"_

_"_Really_?" Jason stepped closer to Reyna challenging her to say more. She was about a half a head shorter than him, but the way he stood made her feel like he was towering over her._

_She gulped, "I'm kidding,"_

_"I know, I am too," Jason stepped back and laughed, "Who does Octavian think he is?"_

_Reyna smiled. She didn't want a re-election. She liked things the way they were. It took a while for her to get used to Jason, his way of leading things, his way of fixing situations, which were completely different from hers. She wasn't going to let Octavian ruin it._

_"One hot chocolate with three marshmallows and a quarter cup of milk and one black coffee with two brownies. Have a nice night, guys." Kona smiled at them and waved._

_"Thanks," Jason waved back, Reyna turned towards their usual table but Jason stopped_

_her._

_"What?" she asked._

_"Octavian kept us in pretty late, Kona's going to close soon and we don't want to keep him up waiting for us to leave. Plus it's_ beautiful_ outside, let's take a walk." he gestured for the door._

_"What do you think about getting a new Augur?" Jason asked when they were a good distance away from the café._

_"Get over it, Jason." Reyna rolled her eyes._

_"No, no, no. Seriously, what is a civil way of dispatching the kid?"_

_Reyna smiled, "'Nuisances are not to be cared for.' I think someone told me that before,"_

_Jason blushed. He told her that. He didn't think she'd remember._

_They entered the Garden of Bacchus and sat down on the stone bench. It was warm outside but a light breeze made it the perfect temperature. It was dark outside, 11 o'clock, but the stars and moon shone making it nice._

_Jason took a bite into his brownie and smiled, "Mmmmm…"_

_"Enjoying it much?" Reyna teased._

_"Kona is a genius, we should make him Augur instead. The gods will love this sacrifice more than teddy bear stuffings,"_

_"Jason,_ it's over_, forget about it," Reyna laughed, taking a sip from her cup, "There's no way Octavian's going to become Praetor."_

_"Because then you'd miss me," he teased, winking at her._

_"No, because then, I'd have to spend my whole day with him." she was hoping it was dark enough that he wouldn't notice her blush._

_"What if I did step down from Praetorship? What would you do? Step down with me?" he was teasing again._

_Reyna smirked, "Step down? With you? Waste my hard work of being a Praetor, for _yo_u? Sorry 'O honorable son of Jupiter,' but the show goes on with or without you,"_

_Jason clutched his heart, faking pain, "Ouch Reyna, that really hurt." He looked at her and smiled. She was undoubtedly beautiful when she laughed, "Seriously, what would you do?"_

_She looked up at the sky, not laughing anymore, but still smiling, "I'd be upset. I mean I'd hate to teach everything all over again. I'm used to you anyways, it'll be a real struggle if I got a new partner."_

_"Compatibility, that's going to be your only problem? You're not going to miss me?"_

_"Maybe,"_

_Jason smiled. She had to be kidding. He'd miss her. Miss talking to her all the time, miss fighting with her in battle, he'd miss her laugh, smile, wittiness. He'd feel like a big chunk of his day went missing._

_"I'd miss you," he said it quietly, but the mischievous smile on his face made Reyna_

_think he was kidding._

_Reyna laughed, "Let's get going. It's getting really late," Jason nodded and helped her up._

_They walked in silence for a while. It was nice. Being quiet together without feeling awkward. It was something they've mastered over time. Long silent company._

_Reyna sneaked a look at Jason. He was looking down, eyebrows furrowed, making it obvious he was thinking about something._

_"What's wrong?" she asked looking away from him._

_Jason looked at her a bit, "What happens when we're not Praetors anymore?"_

_"There won't be a re-election," she rolled her eyes._

_"That's not what I mean," he said, "Retiring. We're gonna have to retire someday,"_

_Reyna thought of it for a second and shrugged, "I'll stay in the senate,"_

_"So you're going to just serve New Rome your whole life?"_

_"Well, yeah. It's pretty much all I've ever done. _Serve_."_

_Jason was still looking at her, he shook his head, "Then why continue it? Why add on to things that you've already on to? Why don't you start something new?"_

_Something new. Since forever, Reyna served. She was a servant on Circe's island and when she got to New Rome she served the senate. She only started something new when Hylla went with the Amazons and left Reyna to find Camp Jupiter. That was hard, something she didn't want to do again._

_But if Jason was suggesting to start something new, was he suggesting that they do it together? To start a new life in New Rome, together. It was common for co-Praetors to end up together with all the time they spent. They've never really talked about it before, was Jason doing it now?_

_Reyna looked straight, noticing they weren't far from her own house in her cohort._

_"I can start something new and stay in Senate," she said, finally._

_Jason considered her answer and nodded, "Start something new like...?"_

_She shrugged, "Go to college,"_

_"Get a new house by the lake," Jason added._

_"In New Rome, away from the cohorts,"_

_Jason smiled, "Start a relationship with someone special,"_

_She gulped and nodded, "Maybe even… get married,"_

_"Have kids,"_

_Reyna noticed they had stopped walking and were standing in front of her back door. She leaned against it while Jason stood in front of her, towering again._

_Her house was small, one bedroom, one bathroom and a living room. No kitchen since the had a mess hall for eating. Jason's house was all the way back to the fifth cohort, a good quarter-mile from hers. It was completely similar to hers._

_The thought of them sharing a new house together made Reyna blush. Her heart was beating faster than it was a few minutes ago._

_She looked up at Jason, his electric blue eyes were watching her. He was handsome. Tall, blonde hair that wasn't too long or too short. His face held Roman structure and the scar on the corner of lip made him mysterious in some sort. He was tan and muscular, but not too much. Other than being attractive he was smart and strategic. Skilled and fair. He was funny and such a gentleman. He'd always make sure Reyna was okay and not just playing a strong show when actually she was upset. He held doors open for her, pull out chairs for her to sit on, listen to her, help her stand up when they've been sitting for a long time. Jason was the type of guy every girl dreamed of having. So why would Reyna, his closest friend, let go of the opportunity of starting a new life with _him_?_

_Reyna opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off when she felt Jason's lips press against hers. She was surprised, letting out a gasp but was in a complete daze, she let out a moan. Jason's right hand moved to the small of her back while the other rested to the space between her shoulder blades, pulling her closer to him. Reyna's hands flew up to his face cradling it while their mouths moved against each other. His tongue glided over her bottom lip, making her whimper and open her mouth. His tongue slid in to her mouth and began tangling his tongue with hers. Her fingers began moving into his hair, causing him to let out a groan._

_She felt like she was melting. _

_Then Jason started to slowly pull away making her whimper, again. He tilted her head up and leaned down, making their foreheads and noses touch. His lips found hers again, but didn't move. Their eyes closed while they waited for their breath return to normal speed. Jason sighed against her lips, sending shivers down her back._

_"I want to start something new with _you_," Reyna whispered. Her face was hot and her hands, that were now cupping the back of Jason's neck, were shaking._

_He reached up and brought her hands down to where he held them between him and her. He leaned back and smiled nodding, "I do, too." he lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it._

_Reyna laughed, "It's late, I should go in now,"_

_Jason nodded, "Right. See you in the morning?"_

_"In the café, 6:30?" she let out in a whisper._

_"As always,"_

_Reyna smiled and turned to enter her house when Jason pulled her hand again and embraced her into another kiss. She relaxed into his hold and sighed, pulling away, "Goodnight, Jason," her forehead touched his._

_Jason looked into her eyes, a hint of disappointment on his face, "Yeah, _definitely_ a good night,"_

_She opened the door and gave Jason a small wave. She didn't want him to leave, she wanted him to hold her and kiss her again, but she wasn't going to push her luck._

_Jason stepped back and returned her wave. Reyna watched as he started to walk away. She was going to close the door when his head turned and he called, "See you in the morning,"_

"I didn't see you the next morning," Reyna said. "I woke up and Gwen said you weren't in your house or anywhere else in camp. For a week, I looked for you. They declared you missing,but I kept looking." Reyna wiped a tear from her cheek, "But I had to stop. For the camp. They couldn't see me like that,"

Jason looked at Reyna and his heart broke into a million pieces. Reyna's eyes were red and puffy, instead of just her eyes looking tired so did the rest of her. Her elbows rested on the table, hands cupping the sides of her face, trying to hide the tears streaming down it. Her body slumped and shook. She did not look like New Rome's strong, fearless leader of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata, she looked like a normal 17 year old girl crying after a horrible heartbreak. That_ wasn't_ right.

"I'd use our coffee times to go looking for you, leave the camp at 11, come back at 3 in the morning. Terminus was the only one that knew since he let me leave and enter the boundaries all the time, but that was the only help I had. I'd sleep for three hours, wake up, take care of the Camp, wait for the city to sleep, and leave again to look for you," she took a deep breath, "The last time I went to look for you, it-it was_ risky_, I found myself in Greek territory,"

"Greek territory? How did you know you were in Greek territory?"

"The girl I saw, she was wearing the symbolic, orange, Camp Half Blood t-shirt, the one I saw Annabeth and Percy wear when they first came to Circe's island, the girl actually was Annabeth. She was standing next to that pine tree at the top of the hill,"

"Thalia's tree," Jason said.

Reyna nodded, "I recognized Annabeth, so I knew I was in Greek territory,"

"But you didn't hurt her, attack the camp or anything,"

"I thought you knew me better than that," Reyna scoffed, "I wasn't planning on going there, if I did, though, I'd be greatly out numbered. I didn't want to start a war. I just wanted to find _you_."

Reyna had a hand over eyes now, Aurum and Argentum were whining by her side, confused by Reyna's emotions. Jason reached for the hand she placed on the table, but she quickly took it back.

"After that night, I stopped looking. If looking for you would lead me to the Greeks, possibly starting a war, it wasn't worth it,"

He flinched. The words stung. Daggers that stabbed right through Jason.

"It was hard on the camp. The town kids were looking for you," she smiled at that, they loved Jason, the hero, "The campers were confused, the senate started considering the things Octavian would say, 'When someone falls, another must rise,'" Reyna shook her head, "So they petitioned for a re-election. I_ had_ to. For some reason they started to favour him. I was powerless without you," she paused thought about what she said, shaking her head again, "I was able to put it off 'til the Feast of Fortuna, but I _knew_ you'd come back," Reyna looked at Jason, her eyes, endless pools of sad chocolate.

"Reyna, I-I'm so sorry," that was all he could say. Jason was stunned. Reyna went through so much when he was gone and went through more when he came back. He was surprised she didn't break down sooner.

Reyna only looked at him. Her eyebrows furrowed, "And then you did come back," her voice was soft, "but with_ her._"

Another tear rolled down her cheek and she wiped it away quickly, "You looked happy with her, who was I to take that away from you?" Reyna gave him a weak smile, "You_ started something new_... without me,"

Jason looked down, totally ashamed of himself. With his memories, it was obvious he felt something strong and special for Reyna before. He fell asleep one night,_ completely_ in love with her, satisfied that he shared that with her, was brave enough to kiss her. Then he woke up, met Piper, fell in love with her, leaving Reyna as a blurry memory.

"And I'm leaving," he didn't mean to say it out loud, she wasn't supposed to hear it, but it slipped. Reyna looked down and nodded.

"Reyna, look," he waited until he had her full attention, "I_ don't_ want to hurt you,"

"Then let's stop this," she spat.

Jason looked at her confused, "Stop _what_?"

"Let's stop trying to fix this, forget each other," tears fell from her eyes again.

"No," Jason said, "No, no, no. We're_ fixing_ this. I'm not letting go of this-"

"This what?" she shouted standing up. Aurum and Argentum started barking at Jason, "Stand down," Reyna commanded, she wiped her forehead, "What is there to_ possibly save_ out of this broken, run-down, forgotten, 'relationship' we have? Whether it was romantic or not, it's_ over_!"

"No it's_ not_!" Jason stood up, too. He wanted to calm her down but that _obviously_ wasn't going to happen. Aurum and Argentum barked at him.

"Stand down," Reyna said again, she opened the door to the café, "Out and stay," she looked at Jason, "I'm leaving,"

"Reyna, wait. We can fix this!" he closed the door. "I'm not leaving New Rome until we do!"

"Then _don't_ fix this," when Jason didn't answer she continued, "If keeping this 'relationship' broken means you stay, _so be it_." she said it more quietly.

Jason stared at her for a while and noticed she was serious. She had stopped crying but she was breathing hard, her chest heaving. He noticed how tense he was and let out a deep breath, "Reyna, I-I can't. I can't stay here. It's not where my heart is anymore. Piper, I-I can't-"

"Let her go back!" Reyna yelled, "Just stay. If it means we won't be friends anymore, okay. I just want to see you. Stay,"

"I _can't. I love her_," Jason slumped into his chair.

"And what about_ me_? I thought you loved _me_? _Camp Jupiter_, I thought you loved this Camp. This is your _home_," the tears came back.

"It _was_ my home. But then I found a better home in Camp Half Blood and Piper, I-I," Jason was at a lost for words. He always was when thought about loving Piper. Other than the fact she was beautiful, she was the most humble child of Aphrodite/Venus he's ever met. He loved how simple she was. She didn't need designer accessories, she didn't hurt others for attention, she didn't only like Jason because of the way he looked. He loved how she was so supportive of him, like she actually let him come here to talk to Reyna. He loved how she made him feel needed. He was her only hero and to top it all off, she called him Superman sometimes. In her eyes he was everything he wanted to be.

"You found a stronger love with her than you did with me," Reyna was looking at Jason, a single tear falling.

"I did," Jason tried to look away, but couldn't. Just by looking at her, he could the many ways he broke her. He wanted to pick up her shattered pieces and super glue them back together. But he couldn't and she wouldn't let him.

"Reyna, we can still be friends," Jason reasoned.

She pursed her lips and nodded, "Friends. We were friends before,"

"And we can be friends again,"

"You don't get it _do you_?" she snapped and took a deep breath, "I can't see you happy… with _her_. _Without_ _me_."

Jason leaned in closer to Reyna, moving their now cold, hot beverages, "If you care for me, you can," it was a selfish thing to say, but he had to. He had to fix this one way or another.

"What makes you think I _still_ care for you?"

"You saved me when Octavian was going to kill me back at Camp Half Blood," Jason suggested. He cringed at the memory.

_It was the day the Argo II finally at arrived Camp Half Blood. The Romans were there, but the camps were not at war with each other, but with the Giants. He was looking for Piper in CHB's forests. He found her fighting off a Giant named Mimas. Piper was on the verge of collapsing, she looked exhausted and completely drained. He called her name, a dumb mistake because she looked towards, forgetting about Mimas. Mimas lunged forward, almost stabbing her. Jason threw Gladius at Mimas before he could though, killing him immediately. Jason was overwhelmed when Mimas disintegrated, he embraced Piper, rocking her and kissing the top of her head. She was crying into his shoulder when she screamed. By the time he had turned around he heard Octavian grunt and saw his body crumple to the ground, Reyna standing behind him victoriously._

_It turned out Percy's suspicion of Octavian helping the Giants was correct. Good job, Percy._

"You were part of the Prophecy of Seven," she said

Jason thought for a second a grinned, "And I'm not drowning in my own blood right now. That _has_ to mean _something_,"

And then she laughed. It was short, quiet and plain, but it was a _laugh_. The laugh he's been waiting to hear since he returned.

Reyna quickly covered her mouth.

Jason smiled, "Can you explain _that_?"

Reyna wasn't sure if he was talking about not killing him yet or laughing, but she grinned weakly, "I hate _you_,"

"Not the explanation I was looking for, but is a step down from, 'I want to kill you,'" he smirked at her, leaning back into his chair.

"I never said I wanted to _kill_ you," she wiped her tear from her face. She was smiling now.

"It was implied when you pinned me on to the floor," Jason shrugged, "You also wanted to give Aurum and Argentum Jason flavoured goodies for Christmas."

Reyna blushed remembering what she did, but she quickly composed herself, sitting up straighter.

"I'm sorry, Reyna, I _really_ am," Jason said, "I care for you, which is why I'm doing this. I want to save what we still have. We can still start something new together," Reyna only answered raising her left eyebrow, he continued, "We can start a new friendship. I'm not saying we forget about before, that'll be impossible, but let's focus on now and the future," he reminded himself to pat himself on the back for that, Annabeth's advice finally kicking in. He smiled and stood up, extended his arm forward and said, "What do you think, Rey? Can we continue this dramatic friendship, or are we really hopeless?"

She looked at his hand for a moment. Could she _really_ do what he was asking her to do? Could she _really_ handle seeing her first love move on with someone else? Could she watch Jason leave tomorrow and _actually_ be happy for him? Could she _really_ let him go?

She came to a conclusion. Reyna's hand met his and shook it. Jason smiled, "So does this mean…?"

"We can be friends, Jason. I forgive you." Reyna stood up letting go of his hand, "I also wanted to apologize. I've been bitter, unfair, cruel even. All because I was jealous. I'm sorry,"

Jason only smiled at her. She scowled, "What? Aren't you going to say something?"

"The Greeks have gotten to you, Rey. You've gone soft,"

Reyna hits him in the chest, grunting. Jason lets out an "Ow," and rubs the spot she hit, she laughs, "Still soft?"

"Just a bit," Jason smiles. Reyna smiles. He did it. She forgives him and he's not dead. He did it. In the inside he was jumping, throwing a party Chirons family would be proud of.

"We better get going," Reyna says.

Jason nods and follows her out the door. Aurum and Argentum sniff Jason and Reyna, rubbing their heads against their legs. Reyna couches down to them and sighs, "I have no idea why, but they were _never_ mad at you," she kissed the top of their heads.

"Do you think they'd still like me if they ate me?" Jason joked. Reyna rolled her eyes and stood up to continue walking.

They walked in silence. The comfortable, not awkward silence. They reached the part of their path where they had to go different ways. It was like a metaphor symbolizing him going off with the Greeks, while she made her way back to Romans.

Jason looked at her and smiled, "So this is it,"

She nodded, "Everything from our pasts, led to this,"

Jason stepped forward and hugged her. It was a friendly hug, the kind Percy would give her. She hugged him back and pulled away immediately, "Good luck, Jason. May your journey continue," she smiled.

He nodded, "And so may yours. Treat Frank well okay? He's a bit of a softie,"

Reyna laughed, nodding.

"And Hazel, she's special. Don't pick up the gems behind her and don't underestimate her. She's the sweetest thing ever Rey, but she's powerful."

Reyna laughed, "I know, Jason."

"Take care of them for me okay?"

She nodded, "Don't break Piper's heart like you broke mine," she blushed but it didn't matter.

"I won't,"

"Go easy on the girls there, Jason. You and Percy are dangerous,"

Jason laughed.

"Goodbye, Jason Grace of New Rome, hello Jason Grace of Greece" Reyna sighed sadly.

"Goodbye, scary Reyna Avilla Ram-"

"Don't even think about it,"

"Hello not as scary Reyna," Jason laughed, "I'll miss you,"

"I'll miss you, too,"

"I'll come back to visit, I promise,"

"You better," Reyna tried to sound scary.

"I will, but you have to visit us, too. Take a break from this place,"

She nodded, "Okay,"

"Until next time?" Jason asked.

"Until next time."

They nodded at each other before walking their separate ways.

Jason walked onto the Argo's deck. It was two in the morning which meant Percy and Annabeth were probably back and everyone else must've been asleep. There was a light breeze in the air, making Jason consider staying out a bit more. He leaned against the edge, arms crossed, completely relaxed. He was happy. He and Reyna were friends. Just friends. Just happy, close friends. He didn't know he'd be this happy. Actually, he didn't know he was going to happy. A big part of him thought she wouldn't forgive, injure him, and walk away, abandoning their possible relationship. But she didn't. She stayed, listened, threatened his life, shared a bitter-sweet memory with him, cried and forgave him. It was a long night, but it was totally worth it.

"And he's alive," there was a slow clapping behind him. Jason turned around to see Leo, grease stains smudged all over his clothes, face and hair.

"Hey, what are you doing awake?" Jason high-fived him and smiled. Ever since Percy and Annabeth fell into Tartarus, Leo couldn't sleep. He felt like someone had dipped him into 'guilty water' and left him soaking in it for days. Then the war happened, he kept getting nightmares that he couldn't stand, he opted into just staying awake as long as he could, sleeping if he had to. It got worst when he left Calypso on Ogygia, dreaming of her. Now that Percy and Annabeth were safe and the war was over, the only thing keeping him up were the thoughts of Calypso. He'd dream of her only reminding him he had to find a way to get her off the island. He had to.

"Nothing, just working on the ship," Leo half-lied. He was working on the ship, making sure they had no problem in the morning, but that wasn't keeping him up. Leo smiled, "How was your one on one with 'RARA'? You're not bleeding to death so I'm guessing it went alright,"

"Ha-ha, funny. But yeah it went alright. And don't call her 'RARA' she might break your leg, and if you want her forgiveness, you're gonna have to get it yourself," when Leo's eyes went wide, Jason laughed, "Only teases her when she's not around, but runs away when he has to see her, nice Leo, very heroic of you,"

Leo rolled his eyes, "Whatever, glad everything went well with the two of you, no goodnight kiss?" he gave Jason fishy lips.

Jason rolled his eyes, too, "No, we didn't kiss. Piper, remember? Thanks for keeping her company while I was gone by the way? How was she? 'She cause any trouble?"

"Not really, she's stubborn the first time, but she listens. She was really worried though," Leo sneaked a look at Jason who was staring off into the distance.

"I'm a lucky guy, huh?" Jason said.

Leo rolled his eyes again, "No shisct, Sherlocks. You're the son of the god of gods, you

are the hero they all admire, well other than Percy, but you two can battle that one yourselves, you have two gorgeous girls in love with you, and you're dating one of them. If you don't think you're lucky, well I'll be happy to take it all from you," Jason looked at Leo, a bit questionably, "I'm kidding, not taking things," Leo put his hands up smirking.

"Wasn't exactly what I was talking about, but thanks, I think. What I really meant was Piper. I'm lucky to have her, right?"

"If I'm lucky to be her friend, I'm pretty sure you're lucky to have her as girlfriend."

"Yeah," was all Jason could say. He had this goofy grin on his face. He just realized he was in pure love with Piper. He was dazed.

"She tried to stay up for you," Leo said, "but she passed out sometime after midnight," Jason looked at Leo expectantly, "In the living room on the couch," he pointed his thumb behind him.

"Thanks, man. Uh you don't planning on going to bed?" Jason said clapping Leo on the back.

"I'll be in in a minute, goodnight," he looked off into the sky.

Jason nodded, "Don't stay up, kay? It's not good for you,"

"So is a demigod life," Leo slumped against the deck wall.

Jason smiled, "Right," he gave Leo a wave before walking into the ship.

Piper was sleeping on the couch, just as Leo said. Her hands tucked underneath her head and her legs slightly bent. She was wearing a white camisole and black sweatpants. Her hair was tied back for once, but the feather was still there dangling in front of her face, moving every time she breathed in and out. Jason walked to the couch and knelt down to her fallen pillow and blanket. He laughs quietly and covers her cold skin with the blanket. Jason moves the feather out her face and behind her ear. He looks at her face, admiring at how peaceful she looks. She was really beautiful but so simple. He leaned in and kissed her lips softly, making Piper let out a cute, "Mmm." Jason pulls away just as her eyes open. Her head tilts up, and her eyes squint getting a better look at Jason

"Goodmorning Beauty Queen," he smiled joking.

"You're back," her head falls back onto the couch, "so late,"

"I'm sorry. We had some issues,"

"Like?"

"Wow, I don't even get a kiss back?" Jason pouts in a way Piper usually couldn't resist.

She almost falls for it, but she doesn't, shaking her head, "Jason, what happened? You're being all romantic, what did you guys do?" she used charmspeak to get him to say something.

"Fight," he sighed as her charmspeak worked on him.

"Fight? Like physically? Oh my gods, Jason, are you okay?" she sat up pulling Jason towards her, checking for injuries.

"Piper I'm fine. I promise. We yelled at each other, she cried, I felt bad, we made up, and now we're friends. Yay," he smiles at her trying to convince her, "I'm honest, I promise," his right hand swoops over where his heart is, and his left hand raises.

Piper looks at Jason, as if not believing him, she gives up and sighs, "Fine, I'm happy for you two," she crosses her arms and looks away from him.

Jason smiles wider and sits beside her. His arms wrap around Piper's midsection pulling her closer, he kisses her cheek and says, "Are you really?"

Piper looks at Jason and frowns, "Jason are you sure you're alright? Were you out with Dakota before you came here?"

Jason laughs and buries his head into the space between her shoulder and neck, "I'm fine, just really grateful right now,"

Piper bites her lip, "Because you and Reyna are good now?"

Jason lifts his head up and shakes his head, "I'm grateful for you. My awesome, cool, supportive girlfriend," he tilts her head up and kisses her.

"I am so lucky to have you," he says in between kisses. She kisses him back, smiling.

When they pull apart for air, she smiles at him, "We should go to our rooms now. Don't want to break any rules, do we?"

Jason shakes his head, "Let's stay here,"

Piper shrugs, "Do you want that couch?" she points to the one adjacent from her.

Jason shakes his head again, "I want this one,"

Piper starts to stand up, confused about how unchivalrous he was acting, and starts moving her things to the other couch, Jason grabs her hand, stopping her, "Where are you going?"

"You said you wanted that couch,"

"I was planning on sharing, I thought you understood," he scratches the back if his neck awkwardly. Even in the faint moon light the blush on his cheeks was visible.

Piper's eyes widen and she felt her own blush heat up her face, "Oh,'

"If you don't want to I understand, i just thought…"

"No, no, no, I do!" she said a bit too eagerly, "It's just, are you sure you didn't drink some 'kool-aid'?" Jason usually followed the rules.

"Piper, I swear," he smiled at her weakly.

She smiled and bent down, kissing him quickly on the lips. When she pulled away, Jason moved to lay down, placing the pillow against the armrest, his head rested on it and his back leaned against the couch. Piper lied down after him, her head on his arm and back on the cushions. She was looking up at him, his electric blue eyes looking down at her. His free arm pulled their blanket over their bodies, then it hugged her midsection, pulling her closer.

His head bowed down to kiss the top of her head, "I love you, Piper," he whispered into her hair.

Piper blushed, "I love you ,too, Sparky," she patted his cheek laughing.

They fell asleep like that, completely peaceful. Happy. Carefree.

Piper fell asleep with the hint of a smile on her face. She had Jason. Jason was hers. Not Reyna's, Drew's, or anyone else's, he was her's. He loved her and that was all that mattered to her.

**There you go! Thank you for reading and I apologize for any OOC, bad attempts at fluffy moments, etc. Again, it was a bit more fast paced than I'd like.**

**I'll try to start a new story before the spring! So watch out!**

**Don't forget to review, favourite and follow!**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! They were really heart warming!**

**If you haven't yet, check out my first story, Dream Together, a shorter, post-Tartarus percabeth fluff, do it NOW!**

**Goodbye and early Happy New Year's!**


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